Pilates promotes good posture & helps back pain

A regular Pilates routine will ensure that optimal posture becomes the foundation for a balanced, injury free way of moving. Tight muscles will lengthen and strengthen which promotes healthy blood circulation and lubricate your joints.  If you have never tried pilates before it is a good idea to get a solid foundation with a beginners course.

A common cause of back pain is poor posture which puts abnormal stress on the spine. This can develop structural changes which create disc and joint degeneration, shortening or lengthening of support ligaments and wear and tear on cartilage. All of these changes can lead to pain.

The key elements to keeping your spine healthy are:

• Learning and practicing good posture
• Using good core muscles during everyday activities
• Regular exercise

The basis of effective back care begins with good posture. Poor posture can cause spinal pain as well as exacerbating existing pain, it can also delay rehabilitation. How many times during the day do we compromise our spine, lifting, bending and sitting at our computer. We need to maintain a neutral spine and retaining the three natural curves of the spine as we move from one position to the next protects our spine from unnecessary stress and strain.

Once the spine is placed in a neutral position it needs to be kept there and it is the postural muscles that achieve this.

The muscles that hold the spine in correct alignment are found deep in the body close to
the spine and are referred to as stabilisers as there function is to help stabilise the spine.

The deep abdominals or postural muscles are also commonly called the core. The muscles that connect your lower body to your upper body is made up of four major muscles: The Transversus Abdominis (TA), The Pelvic Floor, The Diaphragm, The Multifidus.

These deep abdominals respond most effectively to gentle contractions. Together with a neutral pelvic alignment and a lateral thoracic (wide and full) breath create the correct intra-abdominal pressure to assist with spinal stability.